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I sure would like to spend today, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday publishing more answers from the candidate questionnaires. Unfortunately, four people seeking office did not return the questionnaires sent from This is LaVergne: Mayor Ronnie Erwin, Alderman Sherry Green, David Gammon, and Mike Slinker.

Hopefully they are getting the word out about where they stand on issues through other means – word of mouth or letting their past work speak for itself, for example. Or maybe lots of signs… lots and lots and lots of signs in some really awkward places (sheesh, really? REALLY? You have a sign THERE?). I am so very grateful to the candidates who did take the time to answer our questions: Tom Broeker, Chris Farmer, Senna Mosley, Kandy Pierce, Teresa Smith, and Earl Wilson. That you cared enough to share your thoughts on the issues that we thought were very important means a lot. You’ve given us a lot to consider as we decide who to vote for. The others… not so much.

I do have one more question for all the candidates (well, for those of you who stop by here every now and then). What was your motivation for running? Please don’t answer “Because I have a passion for my town and care about the people of this community…” Frankly, I might barf if you do that’s why we all read and/or write-for this site.

Personally, I thought about running but felt my focus would be better spent here. I have another friend who would be great in office, but she spends a lot of her time as an advocate for children. Even one or two of the people who comment here should run (*cough* Michael *cough*), but timing, family, work, whatever over-ruled.

So why WOULD someone run ? The good health insurance? A chance to effect change? A chance to effect no change? To use a local position to leapfrog into future political office? Your friends urged you? Adventure? Free kittens for everyone? You want to build a dog park?

I wish candidates would answer the question, but I don’t really expect them to (especially from those who didn’t answer the first round). Instead let’s ask everyone, “Why would you or why would you not run for public office?”

We’ll post tomorrow where our official “meeting” is to discuss the candidates to be endorsed by this site.

Finally, is it just me or are there an awful lot of streetlights that are not working around town?

QUESTION 1: Rank in the number of importance- 1 being most urgent for the city, 6 being least important.

Econ devel/tax reform/job growths are tied together. Our lack of adequate funding for major city departments has greatlty affected job growth. Businesses are not going to invest somewhere that has a high level of costs due to failure to provide the highest level of fire protection. Have you seen a semi truck try to get into the new Dollar General? The poor infrastructure in that area and around the city greatly affects growth.
I am not saying double or triple taxes but if the tax rate had been adjusted over time to keep pace with the cities growth then most issues would already be addressed. Instead we relied on impact fees which are charged to developers and the leaders get to say we keep your taxes low.
The only way to restore home values is by overall city improvement.
We desperately need more public safety. We need our own animal control officer, we presently us the county service but should look into having our own officer. Even if the fine money had to go to county court, it would be worth it to not have dogs roaming at large possibly endangering children. Our fire department has 19 men for two shifts. What more needs to be said about that. Our police are at a ratio of 1.7 officers per 1000 citizens, the national average is 3.0, what more needs to be said? Some of the other candidates are bragging about safe neighborhoods but when we have less than 5 uniformed officers on duty at the height of the day that is a problem.
As for the high school, one of the things we must start doing is to set the city board meetings on days that do not interfere with county meetings. The city manager and at least one alderman should attend every county meeting. Presently, with one exception, no one does.

QUESTION 2: Do you believe property taxes should be increased in La Vergne?

After every option has been tried we must look at this. We have the same tax rate for 30,000 citizens as we did for 18,000. It is real simple; when I was single I had a food budget for one person, now there are five in my home with three growing sons. It would be dangerous and cruel for me to try and have the same food budget with the new reality. The failure to address the tax rate over the last few years is now going to force either cuts or large increases. Metro water and sewer raised the sewer rates yet the cost is being born by every citizen and not included in sewer users bills because that would cause some to not vote a certain way.

QUESTION 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

I have about 80 hours of college at Middle Tennessee State, Carson-Newman College and Pellissippi State Tech

QUESTION 4. Many of La Vergne’s Problems have been caused by decisions made by past elected officials and poor administration. While we can’t change the past, we can address past mistakes in order to build a better future. What would you do to restore La Vergne’s good reputation as a desirable place to buy homes, raise families, and entice more jobs?

The only thing you can do is to endeavor to do better. We must set highest of standards for employee selection, conduct and for retaining of employees. We must seek every possible advantage we have and show the best La Vergne we can. In short we must not make excuses, we must make hard choices that enable us to grow and be the best city in the area. The city is still full of potential, we are small enough to have personal service to help a person with some mundane task but we are big enough to have bells and whistles, we must try to be the best La Vergne Now

QUESTION 5. Why should I vote for you?

Because I am not doing this for me, I am doing this for my three sons. I have chosen to live here and have invested here. I will not be owned by certain developers or by outdated ideas. We must make very difficult choices in the months ahead. I am ready to make those choices now. I am not going to take the easy path and guarantee my reelection, I am not going to favor one area of the city over another, I am not going to favor one city department over another. But most important I am going to serve as a legislator, not a dictator and provide guidance for the department heads and not micro manage city operations.

Editor’s Note: Mr. Wilson also sent his extended platform… you can read it after the jump.

QUESTION 1: Rank in the number of importance- 1 being most urgent for the city, 6 being least important.

1 Increase the number of public safety officer
3 Economic development
4 Tax reform for the city
2 Job growth
6 Work with the county to build a new high school
5 Explore and implement ways to restore home values in LaVergne

QUESTION 2: Do you believe property taxes should be increased in La Vergne?

No, let’s see where the money is being spent before we decide to raise taxes.

QUESTION 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

Tennessee Technology Center in Murfreesboro, I received my diploma in Accounting. I also studied Business Systems.

QUESTION 4. Many of La Vergne’s Problems have been caused by decisions made by past elected officials and poor administration. While we can’t change the past, we can address past mistakes in order to build a better future. What would you do to restore La Vergne’s good reputation as a desirable place to buy homes, raise families, and entice more jobs?

Getting the people of LaVergne involved in the decision making process. Ask a lot of questions and listen to the people. If people know that they helped make that decision, they will be more apt to see it thru. We have to build success at our schools as they are our representations. At this point people sleep here and work somewhere else. What do we do to keep the people happy and excited about this area? If we find that we will have the voice of the people and we can be great.

QUESTION 5. Why should I vote for you?

I offer change to the city and concern for our neighbors. Example: Zoning has not always been thought out. We need to stop and look at the big picture for the city. I am not committed to any agenda; I don’t belong to any groups therefore I believe I am open to different ideas. I have lived in LaVergne for 32 years. Yes, I see that there have been mistakes from our past administrations. We can hope things are a simple fix, but if it not, I am here, I will not leave this great city. I have no problems with hard work and long hours as many of you know.

QUESTION 1: Rank in the number of importance- 1 being most urgent for the city, 6 being least important.

1 Increase the number of public safety officers
1 Economic development
1 Tax reform for the city
1 Job growth
1 Work with the county to build a new high school
1 Explore an implement ways to restore home values in LaVergne

Our vision for the future must bring resolution to all of LaVergne’s problems as they are all equally important and in many ways directly related. Bringing jobs back to LaVergne as well as prioritizing retail development will bring increased revenue into the city. Revenue which can be used for additional services or personnel without burdening the taxpayers. This increased economic growth will have a direct influence on property value. It is imperative that we work with the school board to build a new high school to offset overcrowding but also in heading off any detrimental rezoning issues this build may cause.

QUESTION 2: Do you believe property taxes should be increased in La Vergne?

The simple answer to this is NO. We need to focus on and prioritize bringing retail business into the city to increase revenue without increasing the burden on our homeowners.

QUESTION 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

– I have completed five semesters of college (78 credit hours) in Psychology / Social Work

QUESTION 4. Many of La Vergne’s Problems have been caused by decisions made by past elected officials and poor administration. While we can’t change the past, we can address past mistakes in order to build a better future. What would you do to restore La Vergne’s good reputation as a desirable place to buy homes, raise families, and entice more jobs?

LaVergne needs a plan and vision for the future. One that corrects our existing problems but also looks ahead 5,10,20 years from now. We need to define what type of city we want to be and actively and diligently work towards that goal. We need to market our many “state of the art” yet empty warehouses to distribution and manufacturing companies and bring quality jobs back into the city. We must bring retail business and restaurants to LaVergne. Our city departments need to be fully staffed and have all the resources necessary to not only get the job done but set LaVergne apart. We need a beautification project which cleans up LaVergne and gives its residents a city to be proud of. LaVergne has endless potential but we need a plan in place now and leaders that will work for good of the entire city.

QUESTION 5. Why should I vote for you?

First, as I feel this is a very critical election which will shape LaVergne for years to come, it is important that you get out and vote regardless whom you vote for.

As a union official within the United States Postal Service I have shown the ability to work with anyone to bring resolution to many problems. As commissioner of the LaVergne Baseball / Softball Association I have worked with great passion for the youth of LaVergne. As a partner with LaVergne Parks and Recreation department we grew Veteran’s Memorial Park and the league into one of the most highly esteemed in middle Tennessee.

I respectfully and humbly ask for your support, I ask for your vote. In return I promise to bring the same leadership, passion, and hard work to to city hall to benefit all the residents of LaVergne.

QUESTION 1: Rank in the number of importance- 1 being most urgent for the city, 6 being least important.

To me the order of importance of this list would be first tax reform, then increase the public safety numbers, then work with county to get another High School. Once these three have been accomplished the other three will become much easier to fix. So, to finish the list, next would come economic development, that will bring job growth, and thus allowing for property values to rise once again. Now the tax reform must include an extensive audit of all current departments and other costs to the city. The new Board will need to educate themselves on how to allow the Seniors the same option of opting to a freeze at current rate, as the county has allowed, prior to any talk of raising taxes – if more funds are needed to accomplish the a lower ISO. The second item above needs to happen with in two years or we will not be able to get large retail to even consider our city and property insurance for all home owners will go up, if we are unable to at least maintain a ISO of 5. In my opinion this is a common sense order if we really want the type of change that will allow us to compete with the surrounding cities.

QUESTION 2: Do you believe property taxes should be increased in La Vergne?

If after close examination of current budget does not allow funds for increase in public safety numbers and other items dealing with our city’s infrastructure to get a 2 or 3 ISO rating, then yes I am not opposed to a property tax increase that will allow our city to grow in a positive way. As an owner of property in both La Vergne and Nashville, we have a little wiggle room as long as we protect our Senior citizens. I empathize with those citizens out of work, I have been unemployed since April, but this new Board will have to make some tough decisions if La Vergne is to ever compete with other cities for revenue taxes.

QUESTION 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

I graduated with Honors in May of this year earning an Associates of Applied Science Degree for Paralegal Studies .

QUESTION 4. Many of La Vergne’s Problems have been caused by decisions made by past elected officials and poor administration. While we can’t change the past, we can address past mistakes in order to build a better future. What would you do to restore La Vergne’s good reputation as a desirable place to buy homes, raise families, and entice more jobs?

As for way’s to restore La Vergne’s good reputation as the place to live in addition to the above steps, I feel over all that each elected official, city employee, and volunteer board member need to know, understand, and enforce the appropriate ordinances that pertain to their position with the utmost honesty and pride. This would make citizens feel more understood and better cooperated with each time they have an issue. I realize we have a City Recorder and Attorney for guidance, but if everyone took ownership of their job responsibilities, some of the problems facing this city could be handled more efficiently and hopefully keep our city’s bad publicity to a minimum. Past broken promises should be accomplished too, such as the Senior Center just to name one. We also need to follow the county’s lead in all meetings being aired live on Channel 3. Make the citizen forum cut off to speak on Monday before the Mayor/Alderman meeting rather than before the workshop. Something else I would like to see done is a city division into four wards or districts for future elections so that each part of the city feels that they have representation for that area by an Alderperson and the Mayor still just has to live in La Vergne. I realize many of you maybe thinking these changes seem trivial, considering the problems this city is facing, but I have learned during my ten years on the La Vergne Beer Board that small steady steps make a consistently big impression and accomplishes a great deal.

QUESTION 5. Why should I vote for you?

The reason I feel you should vote for me is so together we can make La Vergne the place to be, rather than the city before Smyrna. I plan to, if given the opportunity, do my very best to prove my determination, desire, love, and abilities for this city that will bring about a change for the better in La Vergne over the next four years.

Thank you for this chance to put some of my thoughts and ideas out there. I hope come November that I am one of the two newly elected, but if I am not I hope some of my ideas are considered so that we can move La Vergne in a positive direction toward a better future for all of our citizens.

QUESTION 1: Rank in the number of importance- 1 being most urgent for the city, 6 being least important.

This is a really good question. I honestly do not think that any one of these are more or less important than the other. Now here is why, in order to do anything we must have the Public Safety of our citizens where it needs to be. The rest all go hand in hand. In order to have job growth, we need Public Safety and ISO ratings lowered to make our city look enticing for retail jobs. If we get more jobs in our city then this will help restore home values by having people who live in our city back to work. There again it is going to all fall back on Public Safety to have enough officers on the street to control the gangs and violence in town so that people who are looking into moving their business into our city will know it is a safe place to work and live. At this point, the taxes are very important because we need the money to fund the Public Safety Officers, but it does not help if we are spending our money in other cities. Sure we need a new High School and we have a new school board member who lives in La Vergne now. We as a council should work closely with him/her to represent our city and our need for a new high school. I have heard that there was one approved to be built that will take some students from La Vergne, Smyrna and Blackman so that will help some.

QUESTION 2: Do you believe property taxes should be increased in La Vergne?

At this point I can not answer yes or no. All I have to go by so far is the city budget I paid for. If elected I would like to do some research on where our money is going and see if there are any areas where we could cut back and save some money and not have to raise the taxes. If I had been given a more detailed budget then my answer may be no. There are multiple areas I have questions about that could save the city money. First would be the water treatment plant. The way I understand it is the city owns it and pays for the chemicals, but then turns around and pays a company to run it. My figures may not be correct, but I think that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 million dollars. If we are really paying for the chemicals and own the plant why don’t we just hire someone to run it and a couple of helpers. I have been told that the city contracts out to have city hall and some other properties mowed and the price of doing this is between $18,000 and $30,000. It can not be found in the budget anywhere. I know it is mowed by someone other than the city because I have seen them doing it. They could be doing it out of the goodness in their heart but I doubt it. The city provides insurance to the employees which I think is great! But has anyone shopped around to see if they could get the same insurance coverage at a lower rate? These are just a few of the ideas I have. These all may have been addressed and studied already and we may be getting all of these services as cheap as possible. If we did raise taxes I feel like we could do as many other cities do and raise it for a determined amount of time and go back and reevaluate it and see if it would be possible to lower it once the city was financially stable again. I will only vote to raise taxes when I have been shown there is no other option.

QUESTION 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

My education started with EMT school in 1992 while I was a Senior in high school. That was a 6 month course at night. Then in 1995 I attended Paramedic school which was about 18 months long and required multiple training hours on top of class work. Now in order to keep these certifications I must attend at least 40 hours of continuing education every 2 years. Here is a list of the other classes I have had in the last 5 years:

Now having listed these accomplishments isn’t to toot my own horn, it was to give you an idea of the classes I take regularly. Most all of these classes require some type of recertification every 2 years, so it is difficult to just tell someone my highest level of education. There are more classes I have taken but it would really take too long to keep listing them as most are irrelevant to the position I am running for.

QUESTION 4. Many of La Vergne’s Problems have been caused by decisions made by past elected officials and poor administration. While we can’t change the past, we can address past mistakes in order to build a better future. What would you do to restore La Vergne’s good reputation as a desirable place to buy homes, raise families, and entice more jobs?

I would try to work with all the council members to hopefully start at the top of the Administration and allow each and every employee to have the opportunity to do their job. Try and get the city back to where it runs itself and council members and the Mayor deal with City Government issues and stay out of daily business. I feel we would only need to step in if the City Administrator was not doing his job and that would be when we would need to look for a new one. If we can make our employees happy they will make La Vergne more desirable for everyone. We want our city to be the one everyone wants to come to work at and live in, not to be the city you start in and leave.

QUESTION 5. Why should I vote for you?

I feel you should vote for me because I am willing to listen and research decisions that involve each and everyone of us that live and work in La Vergne. I am honest and hardworking. I have to make quick decisions on a daily basis that involve fast thinking and peoples lives. I try to study and research as much as possible before I am required to make a decision . I do make mistakes at times but I am not too hard headed to admit when I do. I want to be someone that you will see on the street and know you can stop and tell me if you have a problem. I volunteer a lot of time to the city already and feel that if elected I would be able to devote more time to the place I call home. I want to thank Kathy for the opportunity to allow all of to express our ideas and concerns for the city of La Vergne through her website. I would also like to thank everyone who has supported thus far and hope I get the opportunity to serve the citizens of La Vergne as your next Alderman.

QUESTION 1: Rank in the number of importance- 1 being most urgent for the city, 6 being least important.

While I do not feel that any of these issues are least important, I will explain what needs to occur first and why.

1. Increase the number of public safety personnel. In a recent economic development assessment class I took, it was very specific on public safety issues that are promotional points for your area. The number of police officers on your force and how many patrol cars available were high on the questionnaire. Crime statistics were noted as well. The question regarding how many full time firefighters and what is your city’s ISO were also top on the list of important questions retail developers ask before entering into your area. The ISO determines insurance rates set forth in your area. The higher the number the higher your insurance premiums. Not only is this important for future growth in the commercial aspect, but it also a major factor in restoring home values. The most important aspect, it keeps our citizens safe and comfortable in their homes and community; therefore, they want to keep their residence in La Vergne and future buyers will put La Vergne top on their list of places to move to.

2. Economic Development. In order to create a positive environment in this city, we must create a better revenue source. Number 1 and 2 go hand in hand. I have proven we must have number 1 to get number 2, but we need new commercial development to help finance the public safety program as well as the other needs of the city. With economic development comes my number 3.

3. Job Growth. When new jobs are created, more revenue is brought into your area. Citizens begin to make money and they begin to settle back down into their comfortable homes and begin to care about what is once again theirs. The recession caught a lot of residents off guard. People were laid off and homes were lost. Hopefully, a new council will come into play in November that will work together to seek out new opportunities that will create new jobs. Thus bringing home values up.

4. Explore and implement ways to restore home values in La Vergne. If you will notice, number 1 thru 3 is a beginning to help this very important issue. We MUST do a major cleaning of La Vergne. I want our current ordinances followed and I want the new council to begin work on strengthening certain ordinances that will clean up how we present our city to future residents as well as future commercial development. I want ALL developers held to high standards and I do not want corners cut to make a quick buck at our city’s expense. Right now, the city has had to pay for roads, water line problems etc. that should have been done by developers. Because of bond issues, the city has had to foot the majority of the bill to correct or finish roads in certain subdivisions. Someone always has to pay in the end and I am tired of it being our taxpayers.

5. Tax reform. If we can implement the 4 items above I feel that we can overcome any major tax increases and citizens can live a very comfortable life in this Great city. I also want a major forensic audit done to make sure all funds, equipment etc. in all departments are where they should be. I think this is generally good idea if new council goes in because the books would start fresh and anything after the audit the new council would be held totally accountable.

6. Work with county to build new high school. This is last on the list not because it is least important, but because it is our school board member’s job to fight that battle; however with that said, it is our job to support him and go to meetings and stand up for our children. I know all about this area as I started in 1994 fighting for the schools that we now have in La Vergne. As I finish with question number 1, you will notice it is all one big circle that makes it all work

QUESTION 2: Do you believe property taxes should be increased in La Vergne?

As long as we have the same administration in city hall, I will never vote for an increase in property taxes until I can prove with out a doubt where every single penny is going and prove to the citizens that all employees and department heads are doing their jobs; therefore, reducing the major pay outs in law suits. We are going to have to spend a little money in order to get question number 1 off and running. In order to sell your home for full price, it must be in good condition and everything working right. Same theory holds true for promoting your city to future commercial development and future residents. We are going to have to spend money on upgrading our water and sewer to areas that have potential for this type of growth. Should a tax increase ever happen, I would prove where every penny of an increase would be going.

QUESTION 3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• I attended the University of Tennessee at Martin for 3 years. With 82 credit hours. 1978-1981
• I have over 75+ hours with MTAS which includes all 3 levels of elected officials
• Have completed courses with Federal Emergency Management Agency: IS-100 Intro to Incident Command System, IS-200 Resourses and Initial Action Incidents, IS-700 National Incident Management System, IS-800 National Response Plan, ICS-300 Intermediate ICS for Expanding Incidents, Only current elected official with ICS-400 Advanced ICS Command and General Staff, ICS Overview for Executives/Senior Officials
• Tennessee Emergency Management Agency over 60 hours of CERT Training (Community Emergency Response Team)
• State of Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy 4 hours in Power and Duties of the Planning comm. And Board of Zoning Appeals

QUESTION 4. Many of La Vergne’s Problems have been caused by decisions made by past elected officials and poor administration. While we can’t change the past, we can address past mistakes in order to build a better future. What would you do to restore La Vergne’s good reputation as a desirable place to buy homes, raise families, and entice more jobs?

I know I am repeating some things but they deserve to be repeated. We must start with a fresh face in administration. I feel the city leaders set the tone for the city’s environment. When employees are made to feel inferior to their surroundings and superiors, respect is lost and this shows in their job performance thus reflecting into the community. I want our employees to enjoy their jobs and to feel appreciated by all; therefore, causing the ripple effect to transpire. I would implement performance evaluations for all employees, department heads, and city administrator. We, as city employees are a service to the citizens and must realize that the tax payers are truly our boss. I want any future department heads and the city administrator to reside within the city limits of La Vergne. When the department heads have to live with the decisions that they make, some of those decisions would be different. If they are spending tax payer’s money, they would be spending their tax money; therefore, they would be watching it a little closer. People always want their home town to be the very best! Now, I want it to be said that I think we have great employees. Current department heads that are doing their job would not be made to move into the city; however, if and when they leave their position, I want to see it passed that the new department head would be required to live with in La Vergne. I want politics removed from running the city and the departments allowed to do their job. Ethics will be put into our city government. We have a wonderful diverse environment in our city and I want everyone to be treated equally. I have always treated people how I want to be treated and I expect the same from our staff. Everyone follows the same rules and regulations. Next, I want the community to feel welcome at the city hall and at meetings. I would love to change how the citizen’s comments are handled. I want my citizens to have an open voice and feel that what they have to say is important. No more hidden agendas. I want our city government to be completely open and the citizens kept well informed. I would love to see all workshops, meetings, and budget hearings etc. shown on channel 3 that are not currently shown. I want a professional atmosphere established within this city and the highest of standards set forth. When you expect perfection, you will receive perfection. When you act professionally, you are treated professionally.

QUESTION 5. Why should I vote for you?

Answer: You should vote for me because I am in it for all the right reasons. I want to see that the needs of the citizens of La Vergne are met with integrity and honesty. I have proven time and time again the love that I have for this community and the residents that live here. All are equal in my eyes. I do what I do from the heart and I spend my time studying and trying to learn as much as I can to help this city head in the right direction. What you see with me is what you get. In this election, I can not stand and draw this big beautiful picture that the day I might be elected everything is going to automatically be perfect and all right with the world, but I can promise you one thing. I promise to do my job to the very best of my ability and never back down from getting this city back on the right track.